This is the latest and best trip report (with photos) I've seen of the trail conditions for Glen Aulin and through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Not too bad. Certainly off-peak. The photos give a great indication of what to expect, and the falls are incredible. To view the photos you'll need to log in or create an account, but you'll clearly see what the crossings look like on some of the prime spots that some of us have been talking about for years.

I reccomend reading the entire post, but since you have to register on HST to view photos, here they are from jdille on HST from Glean Aulin to Register Creek (towards Pate Valley) If this isn't cool, let me know and I'll remove this post.

Log Jam at the twin bridges

Ramp from steel bridge at Glen Aulin

Conness Bridge downstream

LeConte Falls

Bridge at Return Creek

Return Creek flowing into Tuolumne River. So much water...

Driftwood on the trail. Thinking of how high the water line was earlier this spring.

Crossing at Register Creek

Crossing at Register Creek

Tuolumne River kissing the trail.

Last edited by idiotwind on Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Can you also get the one of them wading above California Falls? Everything but that should calm down pretty quickly, but that flooded area tends to persist for quite some time.

Check with the rangers about what they intend to do about the railings being damaged on the bridge at Pate. The same thing happened at Rancheria, a guy died because of it, and last I heard, the bridge was closed until repairs could be made. Slightly different situation, but clarification never hurts. Turnarounds at Pate and back up to WW are like one of the least enjoyable things I can of. We did it once as an overnight down-and-back for fun...it wasn't.

I reccomend reading the entire post, but since you have to register on HST to view photos, here they are from jdille on HST from Glean Aulin to Register Creek (towards Pate Valley) If this isn't cool, let me know and I'll remove this post.

Yes, you're looking upriver from just shy of the middle of the first footbridge on the way out to Glen Aulin, just above Tuolumne Falls. The main trail is on the left bank of the river in the background, and the trail from behind Pothole Dome is on the right. back in the trees.

I would ask the ranger in the wilderness office if parking off the pavement in a pullout near the WW gate (not in front of the gate itself) would be okay. They can be finicky about overnight parking but if you promise to not leave food or trash in the car (no bear lockers in pullouts) maybe they would let you leave a note on the dash and hitchhike back from TM? Or leave the car in TM and hitchhike to the gate.

The White Wolf lodge is a separate entity from the WW campground. I know the lodge and store will be closed, but that campground gets a lot of traffic, and it's still shown as having some sort of projected opening date in July/August. If/when the campground opens, so will the gate, so call and see if there's anyone that can pin it down more closely (it is at only 7300 ft). Parking on the road up there is limited, the shoulder narrow, and there's a big curve that always seems sketchy to me when I think about all the rental RV drivers. But the rangers get it- if the gate is locked, people have little choice, and there are always a few cars parked. I've never seen anyone harassed or towed if they got well off the roadway and out past the fog line.

For the best parking...safest parking, closest parking, I would use the big turnout just east of the road down to WW, or better yet, the Lukens Lake trailhead not far east from that (with bear lockers). You'll add a few miles to the hike, but even the road down to WW from the gate is about 1.3 miles, so your net gain is pretty minor. And, YARTS will readily drop you back off at either of them, just not White Wolf.

One other thing that you should consider in parking at the Lukens Lake trailhead:

From Lukens, depending on which route you want to take, you don't even have to walk that extra .75 miles or so to enter White Wolf itself unless you've got a hankering to then walk 2.5 miles of access road or see Harden Lake. Just pass by the WW trail junction and keep going. Easy, flat, forested hike most of the way, and the final switchbacks down to the top of Morrison are cake. Your map should show it all clearly.

Thanks AlmostThere and Phil! Both of you are correct. I just received an email back from the Ranger and he said...

Hello,If White Wolf is still closed, you can park your car along the Tioga Road in a turnout. (We opened White Wolf so people could park there, but then found a lot of people camping in the closed campgrounds, so we closed it again until the campground opens.)

idiotwind wrote:(We opened White Wolf so people could park there, but then found a lot of people camping in the closed campgrounds, so we closed it again until the campground opens.)

Never underestimate the abuses that some people will reap upon good intentions and to the detriment of everyone else. This is why I avoid the Valley like a plague.

But yeah, if the gate is still closed when you get there, I would definitely shoot for that Lukens Lake parking area. Park, dump your stuff in a locker, walk across the road, hit the trail, be on your way to where you want to go with less than a couple hours delay. Grab YARTS back to the car when you get to Tuolumne.

It sounds like the rangers are declaring the Pate bridge closed/uncrossable. Someone had a permit request refused, no go for the thru hike of the GCT. You could still go out and back but the rangers believe the bridge is dangerous in the same way the bridge at Wapama (where there was a death already this year) is dangerous.